Younger Days
by TheAspirer
Summary: A collection of HP one-shots. If an OC walked into the universe, how would each of our favorite characters meet them? (Alternate title: how fluffy can I get without disgusting myself.) R&R appreciated so I can improve!
1. 1 Fred Weasley

One shot for Fred Weasley - the handsomer twin.

* * *

The bell above the door let out a hearty guffaw as a cloaked and hooded figure darted in, escaping from the terrible weather. Fred sent the doorframe a glare as he leaned his forearms on the second-level banister; the Bellowing Bell had been George's idea, not his, and honestly it got on his nerves. But his annoyance faded as he watched the figure standing in the doorway, looking around in undisguised awe. Fred's smirk of satisfaction turned to one of admiration as the figure let down its hood, revealing a girl with long, curly brown hair and sparkling green eyes. He watched as she looked around in amazement, taking in the assortment of items Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes carried. When she eventually headed in the direction of the pygmy puffs, Fred smiled and began to make his way toward the staircase.

Most of the cages on the floor held pink or white pygmy puffs (because those were the most popular with the girls), but there was one cage at the bottom of the pile which held a blue animal. The girl had knelt down to get a better look at this one, giving Fred the opportunity to sneak up behind her unnoticed. Leaning casually against a stack of boxes filled with Fizzing Whizbees, he spoke up suddenly, "On sale this week for ten galleons, but for you, love, they're only five." The effect was everything the mischievous sixteen-year-old could have hoped for; the girl let out a startled squeak and nearly jumped to her feet, rounding on him with widened eyes. He gave her a sly smile accompanied by a wink, and she laughed in relief. "Merlin's glasses, you gave me quite a scare! My own fault, I suppose, but still. I nearly threw a pygmy puff at you."

"Don't worry, I don't bite," Fred assured her. She chuckled. "I should hope not. Bad for business, and all that." She gave him a look. "You _are_ one of the Mr. Weasleys that owns this store?" He pushed away from the Fizzing Whizbees and gave a dramatic bow, tipping an imaginary hat to her. "Fred Weasley, the handsomer twin, at your service, m'lady." She laughed again. "Don't worry, I won't tell your brother you said that," she smirked. Fred returned the expression. "It's alright, he already knows it. He just won't admit I'm better looking."

After a moment the girl spoke up. "I've heard a lot about this place, but I've never actually been here," she said, glancing around again in awe. Fred gave her a sly smile and replied, "I know you haven't been here - I would have remembered if I'd been graced with your presence before." He watched in satisfaction as she blushed the tiniest bit, turning to inspect the far wall. "Where's your brother?" she asked, trying to change the topic but wanting to keep the conversation going. However, Fred wasn't swayed so easily. Slowly stepping closer, he answered nonchalantly, "He's got the day off. It's just you and me, love."

The girl looked at him shyly, smiling a little in spite of herself. "It would seem that way, wouldn't it," she said agreeably. Then she threw him a mischievous look, and said pitifully, "I'm afraid I couldn't possibly attempt to continue on my way until this weather lets up - you wouldn't mind if I trespass on your time a little longer, dear sir?" In answer, Fred held out his arm for her to take and replied with a wink, "Not at all, fair maiden. Allow me to show you about the premises."

They spent the next two hours roaming the shop, Fred introducing the girl to all kinds of exotic prank supplies and the girl joking and laughing delightedly at everything he showed her. Eventually she had finally seen the whole store, and as Fred glanced out the window he noticed that the skies were less thunderous and the rain had become merely a sprinkle. The girl noticed it, too. She turned to him, the smile on her face fading as she said quietly, "Well, I ought to be getting home. It's late, and the weather's finally decided to behave." Fred nodded silently, wishing she would stay but not wanting to seem like a creeper. After all, he had just spent two hours alone with her. "If you must, m'lady, but remember that our doors shall always be open to you," he said as he picked up her hand and gallantly bent over it. The girl giggled and pulled her hand away, then turned toward the door. She pulled her hood back up over her hair and pushed open the door, but stopped before she left. She turned back. "Could you keep that blue puff on hold for me?" she asked. Fred swiftly responded, "It depends. If I do, will you come back soon to pick it up?" The girl laughed. Then, quickly, she walked back over to him and stopped right next to him. Putting her lips close to his ear, she whispered, "Nothing could keep me away." And with that, she swept out the door.


	2. 2 George Weasley

One shot for George Weasley - the mastermind twin.

* * *

"Ha! A Weasley! I should have guessed...ah, but this one's not. Good, a new victim..."

George snuck a glance at the girl standing beside him; she was probably a year younger than him, small and pretty. Definitely not the type you'd expect to be in detention with a Weasley twin. The girl looked up at Filch, not saying a word and her face expressionless. George wondered why she was in trouble. She didn't look capable of breaking the rules.

Soon enough, George and the girl were on their knees in the empty Potions classroom, scrubbing the flagstones with toothbrushes. As soon as they were alone, George let out a string of curses that made one of the girl's eyebrows rise. "Of all the...I didn't even break any rules this time!" he exploded. "I was just helping a kid up off the ground! But apparently, you're not allowed to do that when the kid's just been punished by our lovely High Inquisitor. Evidently, him being shoved by that prat Malfoy is part of his penance for whatever terrible crime Umbridge thinks the poor kid's committed. And here I am." He paused, then growled, "And if that git Filch thinks I'm going to sit here passively and take this ridiculous _abuse_ , he's got another think coming." He stood then and walked over to one of the desks, rummaging through a small bag which he pulled from the underside of the desk. The girl had stopped working to watch him. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously. "Exacting revenge," he answered with a grin. "Filch'll pay for this one."

The girl stood herself, brushing her hands on her skirt. "I'll help," she offered. George paused his rummaging and looked at her with a disbelieving expression. "No offense, kid," he said, "but have you ever actually pulled a prank before?" She leaned against the desk and smiled. "Loads of times," she assured him, "and aside from this last time, I've never been caught either." George pulled his right hand out of the bag long enough to shake hers, then dove back in. "Alright, here's what we'll do..."

* * *

"Really, Mr. Weasley, I had expected some manner of mischief from you, and you certainly did not disappoint - but Miss Daniels! I'm quite shocked at your conduct, and I'm afraid you both will have to report back to Filch tomorrow evening for another detention. Weasley, I trust you realize this means you'll be missing Quidditch practice - don't make me resort to more drastic measures."

With that, McGonagall bid them goodnight and swept away. The two students stood quietly in the abandoned hallway for a moment, honestly looking quite ridiculous. Both were plastered with some kind of multicolored powder, George covered in green and the girl sporting an unusual shade of fuchsia; their hair was frizzing in all directions. Smudges of soot covered both of them, but none of this did anything to dull the gleam of triumph in their eyes. As soon as McGonagall was out of earshot George turned to his accomplice for a high five and began laughing. "That was bloody wicked! Did you see Filch's face?" The girl was doubled over too. "Oh, but Umbridge's expression made my day! I thought for sure we were going to hear a dirty word or two from our dear High Inquisitor!" It took a few minutes for them to compose themselves reasonably. Once they had calmed, George wiped a tear away and offered joyfully, "Same time tomorrow, then?" The girl shook her head in disbelief. "You'd think they'd realize they shouldn't put us in detention _together_ again." George raised an eyebrow. "Are you complaining?"

"No, just marveling once again at the world's stupidity," she replied smoothly, causing George to begin laughing again. "I can already tell the two of us will get along famously," he said with a wink. She agreed, then said more quietly, "I'm sorry you'll have to miss Quidditch tomorrow." George waved her off. "Yeah, it's disappointing, but totally worth it. I'll never forget Filch's face when he walked in..." He paused to chuckle, then said, "Hey, you should come watch us practice sometime. When I'm not in detention, that is." She laughed, then nodded. "I'll have to see if I can make that happen," she said with a smile. George winked at her. "I have faith in your abilities. After all, you pull a beautiful prank. I have to admit, I didn't think you could do it - but you sure proved me wrong."

The girl blushed and smiled. "Well, I should go. I think I might have another late night tomorrow, so I need my sleep." She turned and began walking, but stopped when George called, "Hey, Miss Daniels...what's your first name?" She gave him a saucy wink, and he couldn't believe he hadn't seen the mischievousness in her before. "Well, it wouldn't be any fun if I just _told_ you, would it now?" she teased, then turned and swept off.


	3. 3 Remus Lupin

One shot for Remus Lupin, the under appreciated Marauder.

* * *

Remus Lupin stared at the base of the tree, stunned speechless, and thought to himself, _Great_ _, Sirius. That was subtle._

Sitting slumped on the ground beneath the Whomping Willow, tied up and knocked unconscious, was the pretty fifth-year Gryffindor girl he had had a crush on for as long as he could remember. Sirius and James had figured it out somehow a few years back and had been pressuring him ever since to ask her out. He had always refused - he didn't even know her name, for crying out loud! He had only ever seen her from a distance, but even so, he appreciated her lively spirit and kind nature. So many Gryffindor girls were overbearing in their strength and courage, but this one was different. And Remus appreciated that.

Now, the boys were evidently tired of his indecisiveness. This was most likely Sirius' work, a not-so-subtle way to try and get them together. There was no one around; the girl was safe from the Willow's branches, but when she woke she would disturb the temperamental tree; and only the Marauders knew the secret to calm it down. Putting two and two together, Remus surmised that he was supposed to rescue her from the clutches of the evil tree which held her captive, catching her eye with his shining armour. _Yeah. Real subtle, Sirius._

Looking around for something he could use, he picked up a long branch lying at his feet and stepped as close as he dared without awakening the Willow's wrath. Stretching his arm as far as he could, he succeeded in pressing the knot which would keep the tree sedated. Propping the other end of the stick in the ground, he gingerly knelt down in the dirt next to the girl. He put an arm around her shoulders and another under her knees, preparing to pick her up and carry her back into the castle where he could quietly untie her and wake her up. Before he could, though, everything began to happen at once. A spell flew out of the branches above them, hitting the girl and waking her up suddenly. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see a figure drop from the tree, land in front of them, and point something their direction. A flash and a click; Remus was suddenly blinded, but he didn't have to see to know what was happening. A triumphant yell confirmed his suspicions - "I got it! Ah, Moony, we owe you so much for this one! You'll never live it down!"

Two more thuds sounded, and Remus' eyes were adjusted sufficiently to see Sirius standing waving a camera excitedly over his head, with James and Peter high-fiving nearby. Remus smiled wryly and opened his mouth, then realized awkwardly that he was still holding the girl and she was still tied up. An idea flashed through his mind, and he suddenly stood, carrying the girl. "No, no, Padfoot, _I_ owe _you_. Trust me, that picture will come in handy - don't think you're the only one who has purposes for it." With that he turned and began walking toward the castle. The girl watched the dumbfounded trio behind them for a minute, then turned her head to look at Remus. He blushed a little; he didn't want to know what she thought of him right now, but at the same time, the Marauders would see right through his bluff if he let her down now. So he steeled himself and kept walking.

The second they were inside and out of view of the other boys, Remus gently set her on her feet and began working at the ropes holding her arms to her sides. He could feel her eyes on him the whole time, and it took all his self-control to keep from blurting out explanations and excuses. _As long as you're here anyway, remember what Sirius taught you - don't talk her ear off, don't make excuses, don't act apologetic. Act cool, be confident, don't apologize for anything..._ Even as his mental monologue continued, he was vaguely cognizant of his voice saying, "Hey, sorry about all of that. I don't know what got into them, they're not always like that, I promise...well, most of the time they are, but usually their pranks don't actually put anyone in danger, and usually I would have just untied you out there, but that's what they expected me to do, and I guess I was trying to save face, but all it did was put you in a weird position, and I'm really sorry, I wasn't thinking..." The last rope fell to the ground, and Remus mentally slapped himself and said sarcastically, _Congratulations, you've broken every single rule Sirius taught you. Another stellar performance by Remus J. Lupin._

All the time the girl had just been watching him. She didn't seem to notice when she was finally loose; she just said quietly, "No, thank you, Remus. That tree could have killed me, if I'd woken up disoriented and made it mad. So really, you saved my life." Remus blushed and looked away. "I didn't do anything," he muttered, embarrassed. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been under the tree in the first place."

The girl cocked her head a little to the side. "Why do you say so?" she asked. Remus shut his eyes and mentally slapped himself again. "Um...no reason, just...you know, they like to play on my weaknesses, and I hate seeing people helpless..." He stopped. Her eyes were just watching him with an all-too-knowing look. _And now the cat's out of the bag. Smooth, Remus._ Suddenly he almost fell over backward - she had stepped forward and given him a soft hug. For a minute it didn't register; he just stood staring blankly down at the top of her head. Then he hesitantly put an arm around her shoulders, which caused her to look up and smile into his eyes. "Thanks," she said quietly. So now she knew about his five-year-long crush...and she hadn't outright rejected him. Suddenly Remus realized something. "Hey. You know my name," he said, surprised. She stepped back with a laugh. "Of course!" she said. "Who doesn't? I know more about you than you think, Remus John Lupin. I know you're a whiz at Defense and Charms, though of course there's not a class you aren't good at. I know you're a Marauder, though anyone could figure that out, and I know you spend your holidays at James' house." At his stunned expression, she smiled and said quietly, "One learns things when one pays attention. And you and your friends catch my attention quite a bit." Remus had nothing to say to that. They stood in silence for a minute, then the girl asked, "Hey, would you mind if I sat with you guys tonight at dinner?"

Remus' head was spinning. "Um. No! Not at all. Sure. That'd be great. Yeah. We sit about halfway down on the Hufflepuff side -"

"Oh, don't worry. Everyone knows where you guys sit. The famous Marauders..." She smiled mischievously, and Remus found himself smiling back. She turned and began to walk away. Remus just stared after her. Suddenly his mind caught up with him. "Hey!" he yelled. She turned back and looked at him. "What's your name?" he asked. To his surprise, she just gave him a sly smile. "That's for me to know and you to find out," she said with a wink. Then she turned and continued on her way.


	4. 4 Sirius Black

One shot for Sirius Black, the misunderstood Marauder.

* * *

Gripping his bleeding leg as he painfully straightened, Sirius Black peered from behind the tall bushes through the pounding rain at the small, old house across the road. He was weak; it had been four days since his unprecedented escape from Azkaban, and since then he had been in his Animagus form. It had rained steadily this whole time, washing away the organic material Padfoot could have eaten. Now, Sirius was in his human form because he was so weak that he couldn't sustain the small amount of magic required to keep his Animagus form. He was slowly starving to death.

That was the reason he was watching the house across the road and contemplating murder.

His conscience didn't put up much of a protest against the crime - after all, he was starving and needed food and shelter, and the girl who lived here (he had determined that the occupant of the house was a young lady living alone) had food and shelter, and it was within his reach. He had already suffered enough, he deserved this. No one could begrudge him a little food after suffering Azkaban...and dementors...for so many long, long years...yes. He would do this. He needed to - another day and he'd be dead. He'd come too far to die now. He had to live, had to tell people the truth, had to avenge James and Lily. Yes, he would do this.

Gritting his teeth, Sirius pulled himself painfully to his feet and clutched his wand. He would need it; the girl was at home. He would have to be quick if he wanted to avoid her calling for help. Taking a quick breath, he bent his head against the rain and began across the road.

He was glad that the country road was deserted as he limped around the house, looking for a back door. At the rear of the house, he crouched down and slowly peered into the window beside him, looking for the girl and the quickest way to put her out of commission. What he saw brought back bittersweet memories - a girl with long, reddish-gold hair stood washing dishes in a neat kitchen, singing softly to herself as she scrubbed and dried and put away. Her hair reminded Sirius of Lily, but her expression made him think of Remus. Quiet and caring, the girl bore similarities to two of his best friends, who were now probably lost to him forever. And he was going to kill her. But he couldn't think about that. Sparing one last glance at the girl, whose back was toward the door he planned to enter, Sirius turned away with a grim face.

Slowly, ever so gently, he eased the door open. Thankfully it didn't creak, and as the gap became wider, he could hear her voice as she sang. Once he could see inside, he was relieved to find that her back was still towards him. A silent spell cast at a stack of plates beside her caused them to crash to the floor, serving both to mask the sound of the door shutting and to occupy her attention as he continued to creep up behind her.

Closer his steps took him until he was two feet away. He stood waiting tensely as she knelt and began picking up the pieces of the shattered dishes, not realizing the amount of danger she was in. Finally she stood, and Sirius pounced. In half a moment, he had pulled her to him in a deadlock, one arm pinning her arms down as the other pointed his wand at her neck. She didn't make any noise, though her eyes were wide with fright and she was breathing quickly.

"Don't struggle, I don't want to hurt you," came Sirius' hoarse voice. The girl replied in a quiet but steady voice, "Then why are you breaking into my house and threatening me?" Taken aback for a moment, Sirius considered just killing her and being done with it. He decided that the least he could do for this girl he was going to murder was to tell her what she wanted to know. "I need food and shelter, both of which you have. I'm an escapee, so you'd never help me voluntarily, which means I have to take it from you by force. And since you know I'm an escapee, I can't let you live - though I'd rather make it painless for you, I promise I don't want to hurt you." Then something happened that Sirius was not expecting - the girl whirled around, simultaneously slapping the wand from his hand and shoving him backward into the kitchen table. Stifling a curse, Sirius tried to concentrate on a non-verbal spell to distract her while he staggered after his wand, but to his amazement by the time he had recovered and turned back to face her, she had pulled her own wand from where it had been lying hidden on the countertop and was standing in a duelling stance. They stood facing each other for a long moment, breathing hard and watching the other carefully. Then, slowly, the girl lowered her wand. "If I put down my wand," she said, "will you put down yours?" At Sirius' expressionless face, she sighed a little then set her wand completely down, sliding it across the floor to him with her foot.

He continued to stare blankly at her, not lowering his wand. _So first she surprises me by reminding me of Lily and Remus, then she turns out to be a witch, then she voluntarily lets down her only defense against a crazy Azkaban inmate...what is with this girl?_ Out loud, he growled, "Don't expect me to be as trusting on first impressions as you seem to be - I know your type. You'll wait till my guard's down, then call the dementors and send me back to finish my life sentence." At his accusation, she looked mildly hurt but only stated, "I can't believe that you could do something bad enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. What happened?"

Again, Sirius was struck speechless. Did she genuinely want to know? Or was she stalling, like he had suspected? To his amazement, he realized that he _wanted_ to tell her the story of his friends, Peter's betrayal, the Potters' murder, his own false accusation, and his miraculous escape, even if she did call the dementors on him. His mouth opened, and words began to pour out of their own accord. He talked and talked as hours passed, voice rising to a yell or dying to a whisper as he told of his anger and his pain. As he talked, the girl began to move about the kitchen, pulling dishes from the refrigerator and warming up the oven. By the time Sirius' tale was told, he found himself seated at the table with a full pot of tea, more food than the four Marauders together could have eaten in their glory days, and an attentive listener sitting across from him.

A short pause followed the end of his story. Then the girl stood up and gestured at the full table, saying, "Well, go on, I didn't make all this for myself!" She left the room, and Sirius stared at the food for a moment before beginning to devour everything he could reach.

Sirius didn't notice when the girl returned, but when he was finishing the last cup of tea he looked up to see her leaning against the doorframe, her eyes sparkling with tears. When he set down the cup, she seemed to mentally pull herself together and began to clear away the empty dishes. "I've gotten a guest room prepared for you," she said while depositing a pile of plates into the sink. "You don't have to stay if you'd rather keep going, but honestly I think you'd better keep out of this rain. The last thing you need is to get sick and be stranded in some ditch." She finished the dishes and turned to look at him. "Would you like to see your room now?" All he could do was nod.

She led the way up the staircase, drawing his arm around her shoulders to support him when he stumbled on a step. He found himself in a small but comfortable room, furnished with a bed, desk, and wardrobe. "Feel free to take anything in here that you need," the girl said, "there are clothes in the wardrobe that should be about your size. Parchment and quills are on the desk, and you can use my owl if you feel the need to contact someone. And," she added quietly, "if you'd like, tomorrow I can help you find your friend Remus."

Sirius couldn't take it anymore. "How can you possibly be so kind to me," he burst out angrily, "when I've broken into your house and all but murdered you in cold blood? You're either stupid or mad!"

"Or trusting," she said with a small smile. "I've always had a knack for knowing when people are lying to me - nothing you've said to me has given me that feeling. So yes, I'm risking my life by helping you, but I feel that it's worth the risk." Sirius stared at her. He felt so ashamed of himself, of his earlier decision to actually kill someone for food, for his pride not letting him beg. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely. She smiled in response, then darted forward to catch him on her shoulder as his injured leg finally decided to give way. She helped him to the bed then began moving about, collecting potions and bandages. The girl's gentle hands soothing his wounds were the last thing Sirius remembered before darkness covered everything.


End file.
